Letters

Like many, I was surprised to see the new traffic islands on Hill Street near First Neck Lane. I assume this project was done for beautification reasons, to reduce paving and add plantings to the viewscape upon entering the heart of the village. There may be some traffic calming benefits, too.

While those are laudable goals, there are other large and negative potential impacts.

In order to preserve traffic lanes, the installation of the islands required the elimination of approximately 15 parking spaces. That may not seem too terrible now, but during the summer, nearby businesses and events generate lots of traffic — weddings at churches and hotels, exercise classes at three nearby gyms, and the UPS and Optimum stores create consistent waves of traffic. And that is before the movie theater reopens and whatever tenant is going into the large white building starts operation.

Just as worrying is the impact on westbound traffic. Left turns onto First Neck Lane are frequent. Drivers wishing to do so during the high-volume summer months must now (a) figure out where to turn, as the islands provide two possibilities, and (b) block all other westbound traffic until a break comes in eastbound traffic, something the old configuration didn’t require because there was enough width for westbound cars to pass on the right.

I hope the islands are attractive, and that a competent traffic engineer has determined that they will work as intended. I fear the loss of parking and the new traffic pattern will create jams and, at worst, chaos at this important intersection.

I hope I’m wrong.

Rob Coburn

Southampton Village